Learning to Love
by Phoenixfyretail
Summary: When Stein comes across distraught weapon, Black, he is instinctively drawn to her. How far will this go? SteinxOC. OC profile in authors note.


Author's Note:  
>As said in description, here is the OC profile. Enjoy!<p>

Black Matsushita:  
>Long Black hair down to about thighs<br>Torn blue jeans  
>Black turtleneck slim fit shirt<br>Black leather boots  
>Eye color: Bright Green (tree green)<br>Personality and distinctive traits:  
>Very friendly person. Lives music, singing, and studying. Is both a weapon and a meister.<p>

~Learning to Love~

Stein gazed at the girl, and he didn't exactly know how to interpret his feelings deep within his chest. It was very raw, pungent emotions, no one had ever stirred him up like this before. He set the thought aside for a while, deciding to do what his instincts were telling him to do. He made his way to the girl, Black, and laid a hand on her shoulder. She didn't move, didn't even show a sign that she knew he had touched her. He furrowed his eyebrows and just stood there studying her. Her black shirt and ripped jeans were as usual, and her black buckled boots were muddied, her hair in its usual ponytail. What was she so blank for? He read her soul. He had no choice but to, seeing as she wasn't going to respond to him any time soon. He saw the flickering blue orb of her soul radiating pain, emotional pain, and sadness. Nothing more...but then there was a flicker of happiness, recognition.

"Stein?" Came her weak voice, the voice that was usually so strong. He frowned slightly, not knowing why he was doing so, or what he was really even doing. "Black." He said, confirming it was him. She slowly turned, and he pulled his hand off her shoulder, a heavy motion, and he wondered why he didn't seem to want to let her go. She gazed up at his scarred and pale face and it pushed her over the edge. She burst into tears, burying her face in his shirt, and holding onto him with a death grip. He froze, not knowing what to do at all. Then something clicked in the back of his mind. She was crying, and something he had seen a long time ago flickered across his mind. A hug. He slowly raised his arm, still uncertain, and placed it around her back, pulling her closer to him. She came forward willingly, and didn't protest, so he presumed he was correct in the embrace. Then Black spoke, providing him the answer that he needed to know why she was so saddened. "Scarlet...to allow me to become a death scythe, he sacrificed himself to allow me to kill the witch for her soul. Why?! What was he thinking?! That stupid IDIOT!" She was almost screaming now, and he looked around for a second, making sure no one was watching them. No one was. He just followed what his instincts were screaming at him to do.

"I'm sorry Black. It'll be okay." And she just cried into him. He put his other arm around her, and pulled her close, furrowing his brow and nestling his face against her head. He held her close, just murmuring reassurances into her ear, and rubbing soothing circles on her back. She just embraced him back, and after her tears had died down, she muttered, "Thanks Stein. ...listen, um... Can I... Can I stay with you?" She asked him, almost looking embarrassed, but really just wanting to be with someone. He nodded. "Yes, you can. Come on." She took his hand, and walked with him, and he, for once, actually had a contented smile on his face.

They came to his room, and she looked around her, taking in black, white, and stitches, before she winced and leaned her weight to the side. He noticed, and came over, pressing a hand to the side she was favoring. "Why didn't you tell anyone you were injured?" He asked, almost curious, and waited for her answer. He didn't get one. She just swayed and fell, collapsing into him. He caught her, and swung her up so she was laying in his arms. He then, cautiously, for fear of hitting Black's head, made his way to his room. Stein then pulled up her shirt, and frowned at the sight presented to him. Her whole abdomen was a series of heavy bruises. He laid his hands over the dark marks, and felt gently for any internal damage. He didn't feel anything out of the ordinary, so he just got his medical kit he kept on hand, and wrapped her abdomen in bandages, and decided to get some ice on it later. That's when he glanced down and noticed the blood stain on her jeans, and it was rapidly spreading. He pulled out a scalpel and expertly sliced the fabric off of her leg, from ankle to thigh, pulling off her boots in the process.

He winced at the sight presented to him. And she still kept going in this condition? Carrying the body of her partner? How? The long cut, obviously from a blade, extended from her thigh to her mid calf, and was deep. It would obviously need stitching, and so he injected her with a mild anesthetic to numb the pain, and began stitching.

48 stitches later... He wrapped the wound up and made sure she wasn't injured anywhere else, particularly around her head, and then changed her clothes, keeping his hands away from her rear end and chest. He slipped her into a spare pair of his pajama pants and an old black shirt of his, tucking her into his bed. And he yawned. He was tired, having not slept in 3 days, and it was wearing on him. He laid down on his large bed beside her. I don't think she'll mind, he thought, fell asleep.

When he woke up, he was blearily aware of the fact that he was warmer than usual, and there was a weight on his right arm and gentle, regular puffs of air on his throat. Was someone...? He opened one eye, and his eyes instantly widened, blinking in surprise. Black was comfortably cuddled into him, holding onto his shirt, sound asleep. He stared for a while, and then decided that it was too much effort to get up and get her to let go. So he just stayed put, his hand stroking her back a few times. Then he heard her whine in pain, and he shifted back, and eased her leg off of her wound. She instantly relaxed a bit, and he nodded. "Hmmm... Nghhh... Huh? Stein?" She opened her unclear eyes, gazing at him sleepily.

"Black." He said, by way of confirmation that it was him. She nodded and attempted to sit up, but failed, seeing as her entire stomach was bruised. Stein frowned, and held her down, and she protested, but he remained firm. "Stay. I'll get you some ice and something to drink. You're injured, and badly. Stay." He left swiftly, bare feet padding along the cold floor. He entered his small kitchen and quickly got a cold glass of water and an ice pack. On an afterthought, he also grabbed a book, a rather interesting one people had told him, but he had never read it. It was called, "The Death Scythes Guide to Maximum Performance." He figured she might be interested, seeing as she was a death scythe. He made his way back to his room, and found that she had propped herself up on the pillows, and was looking rather bored. He smiled a bit. Stein knew she was one for reading and studying, so he handed her the book and glass of water, which she took, rather eagerly. She downed the water, and then set the glass down, and picked up the book. She instantly began reading, and he laid the ice over her stomach to cool the bruises. Then he went to his desk in the corner and began to study himself. Might as well, seeing as she was reading rather intently.

Two and a half hours later, Stein found himself staring into space, pen dangling from his fingertips, thinking. The emotions in his chest were growing stronger, more raw by the moment, and it was bothering him. He looked at Black, twisting in his chair. They almost seemed to catch fire, blazing, burning within his heart. So he obviously felt something very powerful and positive for her. Was it...love? No, it couldn't be. He didn't believe in love. He looked at her sleeping form again, and it exploded like a blazing fireball. Okay, maybe it was.

Then, a hand laid itself on his shoulder, and he jumped in surprise. He whipped his head around, and Black was standing there, her one leg held above the ground, her face holding curiosity and concern. "Stein? Are you all right?" He nodded, though something was telling him that he wasn't. "What are you doing up?" He asked, trying to be stern, but failing miserably. "I got bored." She said, shrugging. He frowned. And then let loose a skull cracking yawn, turning away from her as he did so, causing her to let go of his shoulder. She frowned. "Get into bed. You're exhausted." She ordered, and to his dismay, he found that she pulled off the stern tone better than he did even in her too big clothes. And she was also right. He nodded once, removing his glasses and jacket. He collapsed on his bed, and got comfortable. But he couldn't sleep. He felt Black's weight settle on the bed next to him, and gentle hands began rubbing his back, soothing him. He hadn't had someone rub his back in decades it felt, and he relaxed instantly, falling asleep.

When he awoke again, he blearily glanced at the clock, and almost groaned. Good thing it was a weekend, he just slept for 12 hours straight. It was 3 pm. He hauled himself out of bed and went to open the door, when something stopped him. He pressed his ear to the door to make sure he wasn't hearing things. He wasn't. There was singing coming from his kitchen, along with the smell of fried eggs, pancakes, and bacon. He opened the door and stepped calmly down the hallway, to see Black calmly standing on one leg, serving food expertly onto two plates. And singing. A most glorious tune was flowing from her, just a collection of notes, no real words. But still, absolutely beautiful. He strode over and she glanced at him, and then squeaked in embarrassment, blushing and looking away. He raised an eyebrow, missing the singing already, but got himself a glass of water. Then he glanced over her shoulder, and was surprised, he didn't even know he had fresh food like that here. Hmm...

"Black? Where did the food come from?" He asked, almost sounding actually curious for once. She handed him a plate. "I sent Spirit out grocery shopping and playing delivery boy for fear of death from me." She grinned, and he grinned at the thought. "Thanks for the food." He said, beginning to eat immediately, as did she. When he finished, he took the plates and set them in the sink, and looked at Black. She slipped down from the counter, where she had been eating, and landed on her feet, and she winced, a slight whine coming from her throat. "Ouch..." She muttered. "Stein..." She looked up at him, and his eyes softened slightly. He scooped her up, and she held onto him, and he carried her to his room. He set her down, and told her to lie back. "I need to check the wound, make sure the stitches are still in place." She nodded, lying back, and he deftly lifted her pant leg, unwrapping bandages, and revealed her leg. It was healing well, all stitches in place. But she was still dirty, and parts of her were still caked in blood. He glanced up at her, and asked with a slight grin, "How does a shower sound?" She smiled, and replied, "Sounds like a slice of heaven." She swung herself out of bed, made her way to the bathroom, and he flopped down backwards on his office chair, and she called out to him, "Where are the towels?"

"Closet on the left." He heard a brief movement and some shuffling of fabric, and then, "oh... Found it." She was muttering under her breath, and then he heard the shower crank on. He knew she wouldn't be out for a while so he busied himself thinking to pass the time. Sorting out his emotions, and cranking the screw in his head a few times. What was he going to do about these feelings?

20 minutes later...

He heard the padding of feet, and then Black came around the corner, her skin clean and hair wet, the scarlet colored tips looking almost like blood. She blushed when she walked in, and sat down next to him on the bed. "Thanks for letting me stay here. I needed to be with someone for a while." He nodded, smiling. "Your welcome. You're welcome anytime." She smiled, and then turned thoughtful. "Where are my clothes?"

Over the weeks, he noticed something. After her wound healed, she stopped by more and more often, until she was there most of the time. She would study with him, eat dinner, make his meals, and help him with various experiments, provided he didn't try to dissect her. The one time he had, she had slapped him so hard he had a mark on his face for 3 days. He never tried again. Though she didn't look it, she was almost as strong as him. Which was saying something. And over time, his emotions grew even stronger, and she seems to have something weird going on with her too. Black became more and more fidgety around him, blushing when they touched. He couldn't help but notice this, and he pondered it often.

Then one day, he found a letter, under a small package. He opened it, and it said, 'meet me at the tree, 8:30 pm.' It was written in a swooping hand, and he knew it was Black's handwriting. Then he turned to the package. He unwrapped it, to find a plain white oblong box. He lifted off the lid, to find a brand new scalpel of not metal, but obsidian. He had heard of these, said to be sharper than even the sharpest metal scalpel. He picked it up, and it nestled nicely in his palm. He smiled. She had gotten him a scalpel. He couldn't wait to dissect something with it.

He was almost to the tree, and he thought about this spot. It was where he had first met Black. They had only been kids then, and as usual, he was trying to scare her by threatening to dissect her, and she was just glaring at him with her arms crossed. Then he went for her throat in a real attempt to get a hold of her and she dodged faster than he would have thought possible, and came up by his side. He hadn't had much experience then, so he stumbled forward, and she smacked him in the face so hard he ate dirt. "Never try to dissect me like that again." He sighed again, just thinking about it hurt. She could hit someone like you wouldn't believe. Now he was at that tree, the only tree in the woods that had red leaves. And she was there waiting for him, wearing just a simple black dress.

He walked up to her, and casually leaned against the tree, lighting a cigarette. "What is it you wanted to tell me Black?" She turned to him nervously, and blushed immediately. "Well, I called you here because,...you don't have to feel the same way, and I hope we don't destroy our friendship because if this, but, Stein, I..I... I love you. I have for a long time." His eyes widened.

"Black..." He breathed. His cigarette dropped, and smoldered in the dirt. What do you say to that? 'That you love her, idiot.' Said a mysterious voice in his head. He'd worry about that voice later. "Black." She looked at him now, and he told her in the one way he knew she would understand. He leaned down, and kissed her. He wanted to groan at the feeling, her warm lips were so soft and smooth. And she tasted like...cherries? He mentally laughed at that. But now that he had kissed her, there was no way he was letting her go.

She froze for a second, and he felt her tense up. He drew her to him, an arm snaking around her waist, and she responded, her arms going around his neck. He smiled into the kiss, and she pulled back, smiling at him. "Is that an 'I love you too.'?" He nodded, "I love you too, Black." And she removed his glasses, tucking them in his jacket pocket, before kissing him again. He pulled her closer, hand on the back of her head, and she tangled her fingers in his hair. He ran his tongue over her lips, and she opened up for him, allowing his tongue to slip inside her mouth. She allowed her tongue to meet his, he leaned into her for a moment, kissing her heavily. He couldn't remember how long he had wanted to do that.

When they pulled apart, he sank down, sitting against the tree, pulling her with him. She sat between his legs, nestling against his chest, and he just held her close, head nestled in her shoulder. She ran her fingers through his hair, and he smiled into her shoulder. "Thanks Black." She smiled softly.

"You're welcome Stein."


End file.
